Sabina Sabe is a popular restaurant and bar located in the city center of Oaxaca. It was recently…read moreon the list of North America's 50 Best Bars. I thought it was funny when I got the menu and the food menu was only one page while the drink menu was five pages. The outside of the restaurant is blue-ish and the restaurant has multiple rooms. The ceviche del dia ($190 MXN) was a little sweet and not as tart or sour as others I've had. The tacos de sirloin ($170) were really good and were our group's favorite. The taquitos dorados de mole negro ($140) were okay; there was no meat just in case you were wondering. The aguachile rojo de camaron ($190) were good. The esquite con tuetano ($100) was not like a typical corn in a cup but it was closer to a corn soup. For drinks I had the pequeño gigante ($210) which was good. The paloma madura and paloma margarita were both favorites among our group. We went during the day and it wasn't that busy but supposedly it gets way busier and livelier at night.

I came here for the renowned drinks but also ended up loving their food! It's a super cute spot…read morewith tiles and open balcony doors. We were able to get a seat right away and the servers were super helpful. My friend wanted to try some mezcal and they let us taste a couple before choosing. We sat at the restaurant instead of the bar because it was cuter and I wanted food too. I tried two of their fruity mezcal drinks and loved both. I forget the names but one had watermelon, and the other had coconut and lime. I ordered cheese stuffed plantains with mole and this was soooo good. It was very filling too!

Claudia did a great job of helping us choose what mezcales to experience for our tasting. She…read morepulled out pictures of all the agaves. I felt like I was getting a tarot card reading. She asked us a lot of questions about our taste profiles and based on our answers she recommended what we should taste for our flight of mezcales. Honestly, the mezcales were tasty. The vibe of this place was also a lot of fun. With a live guitarist singing at the door (not sure he was contracted to do so but definitely added to the charm). Overall, this is a great choice for a mezcal tasting or a fun night out in Oaxaca.

View is a 10 out of 10…read more We came here specifically for the roof top! There are lots of tables and seating available. There is a stage for live music and there is a breathtaking view of the most beautiful Cathedral in Oaxaca, Santo Domingo Service was super slow as the employees are understaffed, there was only one waitress, she was very overwhelmed, we sympathized with her and remained patient Drinks were good, view is amazing, prices are reasonable

If it is lunch or dinner time in Oaxaca centro as you read this, proceed immediately to this place!…read moreUpscale Oaxacan food in a modern but friendly environment with prices that are moderate. So many highlights.... 1. Their own brand of mescal and outstanding mixed cocktails using fresh fruit and flowers. You can choose to blend mescal with a floral based drink or tamarind juice and puree, all for about US$3 per martini glass full! Not an alcohol drinker? Ask for one of the juices with mineral water con gas. 2. The service. Every person was kind and attentive. We sat at the bar, and the bartender took great care of us. He answered all questions and could converse slightly in English. He taught us about mescal vs tequila and that the restaurant is named for a type of agave used to make mescal. 3. The food, the food, the food. Favs: The best shrimp tacos of my life. Tortilla and shrimp are both cooked with garlic oil, and shrimp melt in your mouth. Be sure to ask for spicy tomato salsa and pico on the side. Also enjoyed a hearty mexican style chicken soup with veggies, garbanzo beans, and lime. And for dessert...baked pear, cinnamon fried tortilla, and fruit sorbet all on one plate! Were there some lowlights? Sure. Sorbet was grainy. The chicken soup was not the best. But certainly no reason to take away a star!

Though we had food (which was tasty- the molotes) - the cocktails are the real star here…read more They gave us a free shot of Mezcal- very smooth. However, this was our third Mezcal of the day. Time for some cocktails. The boo got a gin one (gin was made with 100% agave) and I got a passion fruit with Mezcal. They were both stunners. Great service and ambience too.

Zandunga Sabor Istmeño features a beautiful courtyard dining area, and its menu highlights the…read morecooking of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, which lies between the Gulf of Mexico and Pacific Ocean. A great item to order to try a bunch of finger foods from this region was the Botana Zandunga, which came with garnachas (mini tortillas topped with beef, salsa, onions, cheese, pickled cabbage), molotes de platano (plantain fritters stuffed with cheese/cream), empanadas (corn tortillas stuffed with beef), tamal de elote (sweet corn tamal), tamalito de cambray (tamal filled with beef stew), bolitas de queso (fried cheese balls), tacos dorados de cochito (fried rolled tacos stuffed with pork), and pico de gallo (chopped tomatoes/onions/cilantro topped with dried shrimp). Each of these items was unique in flavor and texture, and it was fun to try so many different little bites! Next, the Ensalada Zandunga was a simple salad of lettuce, tomate, cheese, basil, and a berry vinaigrette. We also had two local main dishes--the Cochito Horeneado were pork ribs baked in an ancho chile adobo, served with a spiced potato puree and corn tortillas; and the Estofado del Istmo was a shredded beef stew cooked with fruits, served with potato puree, pan bollo (toasted bread), and queso mantequilla (butter cheese). Overall, everything here was tasty, and the beautiful setting made for a nice place for a relaxed meal.

They serve traditional Oaxacan cuisine. Food is quite good. Cocktails are a little on the sweet…read moreside. Ambience is beautiful. A little warm in an April afternoon. Good and friendly service. Tlayudas with beef and chorizo is good! The banana appetizer is excellent, a must try.

Restaurant super cute. Service top notch. Food delicious. Drinks yummy. They even entertained us as…read morewe tried to (badly) do a tiktok dance.

Such a beautiful experience to dine here. We sat on their roof top and it was perfect even in the…read moreheat. There's not one bad food item on the menu. Our server and everyone that worked there was so kind and helpful.

Mezcal de mezcal was delicious. Tortilla soup had a little…read morekick to it but super yummy!

We went to La Olla on a whim because we were feeling indecisive for dinner. We did arrive pretty…read moreearly (somewhere around 5) and they were able to seat us easily. They have a lot of unique corn-based dishes, so we tried the taquitos de quesillo, comal de maíz, tamal oaxaqueño, and the flan (I think it changes seasonally - ours had popcorn on it). We loved how simple and flavorful each dish was. It was a great meal to end our trip to Oaxaca!

We stopped because the place was absolutely stunning and we decided to get some food…read more We had the tortilla soup and the memelitas (mushrooms, zucchini flower and octopus), absolutely delicious! We also tried several of their mezcales. Definitely a must try kind of place!!

What went well? Everything. Food, service ambiance. Had at least one meal a day for a week.read more

I was interested in getting a little pre-dinner drink somewhere and El Destilado came highly…read morerecommended to me. Upon arriving I asked to be seated on the rooftop which they obliged with no issue. The upstairs ambiance is upscale without being stuffy. They played contemporary music but it wasn't too loud. The drinks menu is interesting and there are a lot of creative options for cocktails. I ordered a drink called the GOAT margaritas and it was STRONG but balanced. Cocktails run around $180-230 pesos. The main menus are 6 and 9 course tastings but they also have somewhat reasonably priced a la carte bar snacks. I debated ordering something but didn't want to spoil my appetite which was already happening as they brought out complimentary chips and (excellent) salsa with my drink. Service was a tad on the slow side but I wasn't in a hurry. Would absolutely return!

We ate our last dinner in Oaxaca at El Destilado, and I'm glad we did. It was a great way to end…read moreour trip. El Destilado offers a few options: a 6-course meal and a 9-course meal. (They also offer a bar menu with snacks and drinks on their rooftop if you're not up for a whole tasting menu situation.) We did the nine-course menu, and we couldn't resist adding on the drink pairing. I can usually pass on a drink pairing, since they can be really expensive and I feel pressure to keep up. But El Destilado's drink pairing was too varied and unique to pass up! Each of our nine courses came with very different beverages - two cocktails, two glasses of wine (the wines were great natural wines, but I kind of wished they offered Mexican wines; I think there are some really incredible natural Mexican wines being made now!), one craft beer (brewed in Mexico), one sake (brewed in Mexico, the first Mexican sake company), one pulque (made in house; it was fantastic), and one port (with dessert). (I think I'm missing one! I believe there were 9 - one for each course. Maybe the last one is the little bottles of mezcal they gave us with the little dessert snacks as our last course?!) I often worry that the portions of a tasting menu will be too large, and I won't be able to enjoy the meal. But I really enjoyed El Destilado's portion sizes and progression. Our first course was a plate of three small snacks (tiny versions of Oaxacan dishes), and many other courses were very light (a tomato/vegetarian dish, a single ravioli in a bowl, a raw fish course, a cooked fish course, a shared main)... It was a smart way to serve a lot of great dishes without your guests filling up too fast! I think my favorites were the quail main, the foie course, the seafood courses, and the snack course! Overall, the food was all really good - modern takes on Oaxacan dishes and flavors. Fun and beautiful without losing focus on the flavor. The service was top notch (felt so welcome and comfortable and our server went out of her way to explain every course and beverage pairing) to us while still giving us time to enjoy. They can do service in Spanish or in English. The restaurant is beautiful and yet still understated for a tasting menu restaurant. It's on the pricey side. But it was my favorite of the pricey side meals we had. It was interesting and delicious and exciting, and I'd absolutely return to eat there again.